North Charlotte Today

Veterans Day provides an opportunity to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The City of Charlotte has taken this occasion to highlight some of its employees who are veterans, including Silvester Fulmore, a Rail Operations Manager with the Charlotte Area Transit System.

Fulmore served in the Army for eight years as a 45K Army Repairman and 95B Military Police Officer. He joined the military after realizing the financial burden of college on his family. "When I got out of high school, I went to Claflin (University), and I did my first year at Claflin and I realized it’s pretty expensive for the family, so I decided to join the military," he explained.

During his service, Fulmore was involved in building M1A1 Abrams tanks from scratch. "It was awesome because when you finish, you’re like this is what I did," he said about his experience with tank assembly.

After leaving the military following Desert Storm, Fulmore faced personal challenges but found support from the City of Charlotte. Despite losing his right hand, he was offered a position with the city. "When it became open, they called me and said, 'hey we got an opening for a position' and I said, 'ah, well, you know I’m an amputee.' And you know what they said? 'Do you want to come in for the interview or not?'"

Fulmore joined the city in 2007 and worked his way up through various roles. He attributes much of his success to skills learned in the military such as discipline and leadership. "Leadership. It taught me what it takes to be a leader and how to lead," he noted.

Reflecting on his journey, Fulmore expressed gratitude for his time in service and willingness to return if given another chance: "I’d go back. I said a couple of months ago if I had to do it all again, I’d do it."

The City of Charlotte extends its thanks to all veterans residing in Queen City for their service.

For those seeking assistance this Veterans Day or any day thereafter, resources are available on Charlotte's Veteran Resources page.